New techniques in genome mapping have revealed a high degree of 3D spatial organization in the nucleus. Long-range loops connect enhancers to their gene targets to regulate expression. In order to assess the mechanisms and functions behind 3D spatial organization of the nucleus we need a system that allows us to engineer DNA loops. We use programmable CRISPR-Cas DNA binding domains to target specific sites in the genome. The CRISPR-Cas complex is tethered to a targeting domain (TD) that can dimerize with another TD at a distant DNA locus. To promote interactions between TDs that are bound to DNA, we have designed an allosteric switch that assembles the TD only when the CRISPR-Cas complex has engaged its DNA target. To validate that our switch proteins can act as a DNA sensor we have developed a simple reporter assay; upon successful switch protein activation on DNA a transcription factor is recruited to drive expression of a fluorescent protein. Our results indicate that the protein switches activate when they are recruited to DNA, effectively acting as a sensor for DNA binding. Future steps include optimizing our reporter assay design and modifying the design for DNA looping.

With the discovery of radioactive materials, many institutions have conducted numerous radiation experiments in order to further understand the effects of radiation and radioactive contamination on human bodies and their environments. While doing so, there has been a great amount of unequal health disparities among the different communities involved. Institutions, like the University of Washington, while held in high regard, have participated in experiments that have affected the livelihood of many people. To this day, common knowledge of the University of Washington’s participation is still obscured. There are many institutions in the United States that are like UW and are known for their extensive and groundbreaking research; with the funding and power they hold, people often don’t question their research or their ethical approach to conducting it. From our research, we obtained a greater understanding of what occurred throughout the experiments - thus our goal is to bring attention to the actions of the University of Washington researchers’, C. Alvin Paulsen’s and Lauren R. Donaldson’s, unethical research practices in the Marshall Islands and UW Walla Walla Prison Radiation Experiments. Our methods include analyzation of interviews with Tom Carpenter - the Executive Director of Hanford Challenge, discourse analysis, reviews of relevant literature and interpretations of visual elements. Because the research of C. Alvin Paulsen and Lauren R. Donaldson is locked away in UW’s Special Collections Library, we were unable to analyze their research directly. We anticipate that this project will ensue more curiosity and lead to the general public learning more about the University of Washington’s participation in human radiation experiments.

One of the open questions in neutrino physics is the absolute mass scale of the neutrino, currently recognized as the only fundamental fermion whose mass scale is not fully known. The Project 8 neutrino experiment employs cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) to probe the neutrino mass spectrum, a method developed to measure electron energy by detecting cyclotron radiation through the acceleration of electrons confined in a magnetic (B) field. CRES data relies on energy precision which is directly related to B-field precision, therefore it is pertinent to monitor the time-varying field vector in which the experiment lies. Initial B-field surveys in our laboratory provided insight into the volatility of the local field environment, showing stray field fluctuations up to .5 microTesla produced by neighboring high field, high ramp-cycle magnets. This discovery motivated the implementation of the ambient magnetic field array measurement (AMFAM) system which monitors the local field environment and helps parse fluctuations in the B-field that could adversely affect the CRES data. The AMFAM system utilizes multiple triple-axis magnetometers placed around our laboratory for strategic B-field investigation. I worked on the development of the Arduino-based software to extract appropriate data from the magnetometers, as well as the hardware and wiring of the array system. I present my plans to execute data analysis and describe how long-term investigation of field conditions will benefit Project 8’s CRES data.

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